The Toronto Maple Leafs and John Tavares are not close to reaching an agreement on a contract extension, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports.
LeBrun reported Saturday that while the two sides are actively engaging in negotiations, the gap has yet to narrow with 10 days to go until the veteran centre hits the open market.
“The stakes are high here,” LeBrun wrote. “You’ve got a 34-year-old player who doesn’t want to leave his home and a team that can ill-afford to lose a second-line center who just scored 38 goals and 74 points. Deadlines spur decisions. It’s probably still going to get done, but it’s a fascinating one to be sure.”
This comes after reports emerged on Thursday via The Leafs Nation’s Nick Alberga that the Leafs and Matthew Knies are ‘far apart’ in their extension discussion, with the added pressure of a potential offer sheet should the negotiations drag on beyond July 1st. While there is undoubtedly some optimism that new deals for Knies and Tavares will eventually get completed, the fact that it has yet to get across the finish line this close to the start of free agent frenzy may leave Leafs fans concerned.
In Tavares’ case, the delay likely boils down to the structure of the deal and what he would be looking for on what would likely be his last major pay day. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos appeared on Leafs Morning Take on Friday, where he suggested that the contract Matt Duchene ($4.5 million AAV) received from the Dallas Stars is a ballpark for what would be fair value for Tavares and the Leafs.
“That’s a fair comparable,” Kypreos said. “Excellent regular season players, can help you get there, but they’re not guys that I’m gonna look at as difference makers in the playoffs. Matt Duchene didn’t do much to help Dallas when they needed it most. Tavares has never had a reputation for playing his best hockey in the playoffs. He’s never seen the light of day of a Conference Final.”
Reports emerged later on Friday from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that Tavares on the open market could get a contract similar to what Brock Nelson ($7.5 million AAV) signed for with the Colorado Avalanche. Friedman suggested that the Leafs could opt to stretch out the length of the contract, similar to what they did with Chris Tanev, in an effort to lower the AAV of Tavares’ next contract.
Regardless, there isn’t much time left for the Leafs to get this contract over the finish line before they would have to compete with 31 other teams to retain Tavares’ services. There is no doubt that the veteran forward is eager to return given that he has stated his desires multiple times throughout the season, but it won’t matter until the two sides officially reach an agreement.
While Tavares and the Leafs are still chipping away at a potential contract extension, they aren’t close to getting it done at the time of filing.
